1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a head lamp of a vehicle, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a head lamp of a vehicle, that can control an illumination pattern based on the control information varying according to the beam irradiation direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a vehicle includes automotive lamps with a lighting function enabling a driver to easily recognize objects around the vehicle at night or in dark lighting and a signaling function for informing a driver of another vehicle or a pedestrian of a traveling state of the vehicle.
For example, a head lamp and a fog light are designed for a lighting function, and a blinker, a tail lamp, a stop lamp and a side marker are designed for a signaling function.
Specifically, a head lamp for a vehicle provides a function of ensuring a driver's view at night or in dark lighting by irradiating light in the same direction as a traveling direction of the vehicle.
It may be difficult to provide optimal lighting in the headlamps of a vehicle according to a traveling state of the vehicle or road conditions, for example, a traveling speed of the vehicle, a traveling direction, a road state, ambient brightness, etc. Therefore, an adaptive front lighting system that converts an illumination pattern according to the traveling state of a vehicle has recently been proposed. In the adaptive front lighting system, illumination patterns are adaptively converted according to the traveling state by varying cutoff patterns of light generated from a light source. The adaptive front lighting system mainly converts the pattern of a low beam and on motorways, the system usually converts the pattern of a high beam.
To drive a vehicle at night, a driver may turn on either a low beam or a high beam. When the low beam is used, the illumination pattern of the low beam is converted by the adaptive front lighting system and when the high beam is used, the illumination pattern of the high beam is converted according to the presence of a vehicle in front of the subject vehicle.